Sunlight Enters a VLT Dome

At sunset a warm sunlight glow enters the building of a VLT´s Unit Telescope (UT) through the ventilation windows. The four 8.2-metre UTs are typically opened just before sunset. The ventilation windows, designed to allow a smooth, constant air flow inside the telescope building and so to avoid turbulences, open automatically, depending on the speed and direction of the wind. The ESO´s Very Large Telescope is located some 120 km south of Antofagasta, in northern Chile.